Where The Heart Is
by Mariko Azrael
Summary: [PRWF] Alternate Universe.  When Max is forced to run away from home, he meets someone that reminds him what a home is supposed to be like. [Max X Danny]  Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: Alternate universe (although Max's background in this is extremely similar to the one I have planned for my personal canon ..).

--

Max tried to keep his mind active, trying to focus on something that didn't involve his growling stomach or that the last time he slept had been the quick nap he'd caught in the alley yesterday. But considering that he still had no idea where he was going, he wasn't having much luck. He hated to admit it, but going home was starting to look pretty good right now. He and his father... hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms, but his head must've cooled off at this point, at least enough to remember that they were family... 

_He loomed over him, blocking the porch door with his body. "I never want to see your face around here again."_

Okay, so going home wasn't an option. Max took in his surroundings: clean houses, clean cars, clean everything-- he must've made better time than he thought if he was already in the suburbs. Of course, this meant he had to keep up his pace, unless his wanted to deal with the disdain of the middle class in a couple of hours. There was a bowling alley not too far away. A few people knew him there; if he was lucky they'd let him stay long enough to figure out what he was supposed to do now.

Then he noticed it.

It was the same as the other houses when it came to size and architecture, but this one... wasn't just a house. It was a home. It even had a white picket fence, for goodness sake. A tiny pink bicycle had been left in the yard, there was a homemade wind chime hanging on the door light, and the garden... what Max knew about flowers consisted of the home and garden magazine covers he sometimes glanced at while his father bought beer, but he could tell that someone had put a lot of hard work into making all those flowers grow (even if he wasn't sure what some of those flowers were called). Max had no idea what kind of family lived here, but he already knew that there was a lot of love shared here.

A sudden wave of dizziness overtook him, and it took everything Max had left in him not to sink to the sidewalk. Well, he wasn't going to make it to the bowling alley **now**, not in the shape he was in. If the family that lived here was as nice as their home seemed to be, then they wouldn't mind if he leaned against their fence for a few minutes... just long enough to catch his breath...

--

_Hey... Hey... Are you all right?_

Someone was talking to him, but the voice was too was far away to make out much more...

_Look horrible... get you inside..._

Max felt arms around him, the sudden sensation of weightlessness--

And then nothing.

--

The first thing Max was aware of was that he was in a bed. Pillows, comforter, the works. It wasn't until he had adjusted to the idea of waking up someplace other than his mildewed mattress back home or an alleyway that he heard the voices.

"It's been hours. Why isn't he awake?"

"Dunno-- wanna try kissing him?"

"Very funny."

"I know I'm good looking, but I'm not that kind of boy." Max flinched inwardly at how raw his voice sounded. He opened his eyes and saw a girl in a pink sweater leaning against a dresser...

... And a young man leaning over him, giving him the warmest smile Max had ever seen in his life.

Of course, not that many people had smiled at Max in his life, so he didn't have much to compare... but somehow, he knew that there was something different to this particular smile-- and to the man smiling down at him.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. He cleared his throat, and when he spoke again, he sounded almost normal. "So, um, who are you guys?"

The man blinked. "Oh, right. I'm so sorry, I should have told you right away. I'm Danny," he began as he pushed the wire-rimmed glasses he was wearing up the bridge of his nose, "and she's my youngest sister, Carmen." The girl in pink waved at him from her spot near the dresser.

Max smiled at her. "Cute kid."

Carmen snorted derisively. "You're a kid, too."

"I'm not a kid--"

"Carmen." Danny's tone was gentle but definite. He reached over, placing a breakfast tray on Max's lap (he must've been out of it if he hadn't smelled the food). "I'm afraid that all we have to offer you is instant oatmeal and lukewarm juice, but grocery day's tomorrow and--"

Anything Danny said after that was drowned out by the sound of Max inhaling his breakfast.

"Sheesh." Carmen perched on the side of bed. "When was the time you ate--"

"I'm Max," he said as he finished the last spoonful of oatmeal. "And I think it was Wednesday-- I remember 'cause I found a couple of dollars and bought a bag of chips."

Danny's eyes darkened with concern. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I took a nap yesterday, if that counts."

Max tried to ignore the warmth that went through him when Danny placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you have anyone you want to call? Anyplace you want me to drive you to?"

"No, I don't."

Danny didn't remove his hand as he looked Max in the eye. "Why's that?"

"Because my dad kicked me out of the house."

He hadn't meant to say that. Max was going to feed him the excuse he'd come up with in case anyone asked... but all Danny had to do was look at him, and the truth just came tumbling out. Max didn't want to dwell on why that happened.

And judging from Danny's expression-- some weird mix of shock, sympathy, and anger-- he wouldn't have the time to dwell, either. "What father would do that to his own son?!" He had been sitting by Max's side since he first woke up, so he was struck by just how **tall** Danny was when he stood up, pacing. "W-we have to do something, we have to--"

"Will you calm down already?" Max stretched and grabbed Danny by the arm. "Look... it's okay, really. And it's my problem, not yours."

"He's got a point," Carmen admitted with mild interest, seemingly unaffected by Danny's following cold glare.

"But... I want to help." Danny was giving him the same look that had made Max spill his guts without even realizing it. "At least let me call my father and tell him we have a guest for tonight?"

It was a bad idea, he had enough to deal with, and he had already caused them too much trouble...

Danny smiled at him again.

"Okay, fine. But just for tonight!" Max chose to ignore the fact that Danny was practically skipping out of the bedroom, turning his attention to his younger sister. "Is he always like that?"

"Pretty much." Carmen's face grew serious as she tugged on a pigtail. "So... you really don't have a place to stay?"

"There **is** my summer home in Angel Grove, but I'd rather not. The place is crawling with tourists this time of year." Max fell back on the pillows, closed his eyes, and hoped Carmen would catch the hint.

She hadn't. "Well, I was thinking that once all this is taken care of... maybe you could live with us."

Max sat up again. "Are you completely--"

Carmen leaned towards him. "No, you could. I know Papa will agree once he knows the whole story, and my other sisters will love you. You and Danny could share a room, and besides... I think he likes you."

He felt something inside him twinge. "You're joking."

Her pigtails bounced as she shook her head. "He carried you in here. And the breakfast he fed you? It was his until he found you slumped next to our fence. He even skipped his Horticulture class just so he could be here when you woke up-- and Danny never skips Horticulture class."

Max felt a twinge again, but this one was a little different than before. He turned his head and saw Danny in the hallway, deep in conversation, but not so deep not to smile at Max quickly before disappearing again.

And even though he was gone, Max smiled back.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: AU. Dedicated to everyone who wanted a sequel to this. Thanks to these guys, what was supposed to be an one-shot is now going to (hopefully!) be a five-part series. I'm still feeling out the plot as I go along (even though I know how I want the fic to end), so apologies if it's of poor quality.

--

"But why can't Max stay with us, Papa?"

Duncan Delgado's hands tightened around the steering wheel as he waited for the light to turn green. He'd had no qualms with Danny's new friend staying the night-- especially since guessing from what little Max was willing to share about himself, he didn't have anyplace else to go. Unfortunately, as much as Duncan wanted to help the poor kid out, there was only so much a widower with four children (and two of them in college, no less) could do-- but he wasn't having much luck convincing Danny of that.

"First off, he's eighteen. As far as the state's concerned, he's an adult," Duncan explained for what felt like the umpteenth time as he leaned back in his seat. If the light didn't change soon the car was going to overheat again.

"But he still has a semester of high school left," Danny countered. "And he can share my room. The girls and I already went over the budget last night, and we can afford another mouth to feed, really-- and if we can't, I'll work more hours at the floral shop. Papa, I promise--"

"Danny." Duncan rubbed his eyes. They were beginning to strain from staring at the traffic light. "I realize you're only trying to do the right thing, and I know that you're responsible enough to pull this off... but son, this isn't like all the stray animals you snuck inside the house when you were little."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that you're just trying to help, but Max hasn't known you as long as I have. He might think that you're taking pity on him."

Danny's eyes went wide. "I-I would never--"

"Of course you wouldn't. But Max may see it that way."

The eldest Delgado child stared at the dashboard remorsefully... and then a hint of hope flickered across his face. "But what if Max doesn't see it that way? What if he wants my help?"

Duncan allowed himself a smile as the light finally turned green. "If that's the case, Danny... then I guess we'll have another mouth to feed."

--

Danny knew the neighbors were staring at him as he dashed to his door, but he didn't care. He couldn't wait to see the look on Max's face when he told him the good news. After a minute or two of fumbling for his keys, Danny was inside the house.

"Anyone home? I got something I want to tell all of you!" The only person he saw was Elise, who was putting away the dishes. He made his way into the kitchen. "Have you seen Max?"

"Yeah, about that-- Max left about an hour ago. He said he could take care of himself or something like that." Elise stood on her tiptoes and kissed Danny on the cheek. "Listen, I'm already late for my Math class, so I'll see you later, okay?" She didn't look at him as she grabbed her bag and ran for the door. "Papa? Could you give me a ride, please?"

One slam of the door later, Danny was alone.

--

He was here solely on a hunch, but it was better than spending the rest of his evening worrying himself sick over whether Max was okay or not. Danny glanced around the bowling alley anxiously. The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of adults, but there were some teenagers-- including a very familiar one.

Danny waited for Max to roll the ball before he made his presence known. "Knocking all the pins down is good, right?" When Max turned to look at him, Danny could only smile sheepishly. "I'm not much of a bowler."

To Danny's relief, Max smiled in return. "Yeah, it's good," he said as he led Danny to a nearby bench. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"I remembered last night at dinner you mentioned this as one of the places you wanted to check for work, so..." Danny trailed off, not sure of what else to say.

"Holy-- you remembered that? I forgot that, and I was the one who said it." Max smiled again. "Oh, that reminds me-- you're now looking at this bowling alley's newest gofer."

"Really? Max, that's great!" Danny clapped a hand on Max's shoulder. "I bet you've already found a place to stay, too."

Max's lips were still curled upwards, but it was in no way a smile now.

Danny felt his shoulder sag. "Listen, Max... about before, I didn't mean to--"

He glanced at Danny, dark eyes quizzical. "What are you talking about?"

It came out all at once. "I-I just wanted to help-- and I still do-- but I came on too strong, a-and now you probably hate me--"

"Whoa... just calm down, okay?" Max placed a hand on Danny's chest, and somehow that simple action was enough to steady his breath. "And why would I hate you?"

"Because... you think I just pity you..."

"What?!" Max gaped at him for a second... and then laughed as he nudged him playfully. "Danny, I've known better than that from the beginning."

Relief crashed over Danny, and as much as he liked the feeling he had to know...

"Then why did you leave?"

Max leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Because I want to prove my dad wrong."

Danny remembered that Max had told him that his father had thrown him out of his home... and nothing else. He hadn't pushed to know more, so this was new-- and understandable. But he couldn't leave Max alone. He just couldn't.

"You can't prove him wrong at my place?"

Max was quiet long enough for Danny to lose hope... but then he nudged him again. "Okay, but I have to finish my game first."

Danny nodded and smiled as Max grabbed a new ball. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew things were far from okay-- or over. But for now, he was just glad to know Max was willing to accept help.

His help. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: AU again. Also, this part hints at themes that would be probably be considered for the Power Rangers show, although the rating is no worse than T. And I am really, really sorry for the lag between updates. This will teach me to start a series at the beginning of Fall Semester. --

--

"Are we still on for that game tonight, Max?" Ana Delgado grinned at him expectedly as she put the milk back in the fridge. 

"Of course not." Elise glared at her younger sister through round-rimmed glasses. "He's coming to the library to help me with some research."

"Max has better things to do with his time than play helpmate to you two," Carmen retorted as she helped herself to dessert. "Especially since he's going to go over my homework."

"Ladies, ladies!" Max held up his hands. "There's only so much of me to go around. Even less than usual since I have an exam this week." He turned to Ana. "We'll go to the alley this weekend, I promise." He then turned to Elise. "We can hit the library after school tomorrow. And as for you," he continued as he faced Carmen, "I'll check your answers before the bus comes for ya, okay kid?"

"You're the only kid I see around here."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!"

Duncan smiled over his drink as the now familiar scene played out in front of him. Danny had been right; the girls had grown fond of him. It had been roughly a month since his son had convinced Max Cooper to live with them instead of running from… whatever it was Max had to run from. And a month later, it was hard to imagine the Delgado household **without** Max. Duncan had no doubt that was primarily because of Danny's effort… and his feelings for Max.

Duncan knew some fathers would be upset with upset with the idea of their only son falling for another boy, and those fathers were idiots. As long as Danny was happy, that was all that mattered. And while he doubted Danny even realized **what** he felt, he was still handling himself around Max better than that girl at the floral shop he'd had a crush on last year. And Max… Max was harder to read than Danny (partly because he'd only know him for a little while, partly because underneath Max's jokes and bravado lurked a young man with a past he didn't want to talk about), but something was there. And they'd be good for each other: Max could get Danny to come out of his shell when even his blood relatives couldn't, and Danny made sure Max didn't get himself killed.

He only hoped that Max was aware of all this, because Danny certainly wasn't. He'd probably have to resort to something along the lines of grabbing him and kissing him-- and even then, Danny might still be confused…

"Are you all right, Papa? You're awfully quiet tonight."

He waved a hand at his son. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about how I was wrong earlier."

"Papa?"

Duncan didn't want to attract attention, so he merely nodded in Max's direction.

Danny caught on quickly. "Oh, yeah. That."

And as he watched a smile slowly spread across Danny's face, Duncan wondered if maybe he did have an idea after all.

--

Danny knew that it probably wasn't a good idea.

Max was a light sleeper, after all. There was a very real chance that he would wake up and then Danny would have a lot of explaining to do, but… this was the only time he had this chance. Their days were filled with school, work, and sisters. It was only when everyone was safely tucked into bed that he could do this.

He wasn't doing anything too bad, though. Staring at someone could be annoying, unnerving, but it wasn't necessarily bad.

What he thought about while he stared at Max, however, was an entirely different story.

When he had first seen him (small, weak, still), he'd only been thinking about how to help him. And in a lot of ways, that was still true. But somewhere along the way, it had… become more. It'd become new, almost scary. And of course there was Max to consider: even now, there was a part of Danny that was terrified that Max would suddenly decide that the events of the past month had happened solely out of pity, tell him he hated him for that, and then Danny would never see him again. If he ever found out about **this**… Danny didn't even want to think about it.

Suddenly, Max stirred a little. "Dad…"

Danny relaxed. Max was just having a dream.

"Dad, come back…"

Maybe it was a nightmare instead. Danny crept from his bed and knelt by Max's cot. Carefully, his fingertips traced the sides of Max's face. "Hey… it's just a dream. Don't worry, I'm here for you. Try to pull yourself out of it."

Max's eyelids twitched, but it was obvious he was still stuck somewhere between dreams and reality. "Just give me another chance… please, we're family…"

Danny let his hand fall. He… he only knew what Max had told him, but he was aware that something had happened between Max and his father-- and that whatever it was, it still haunted him.

And that something had to be done about it.

--

If what Danny had been up to a little while earlier had been a bad idea, this made it look like nothing.

After a few minutes of very quietly rifling through Max's things, he had found a slip of paper in his backpack that had scribbled on it what Danny **hoped** was his old address. And now here he was, driving in his father's car in a part of town he'd never been in before, on the hope that he could find someone he had never met (and absurdly enough, already hated because of what he'd put Max through).

… And if things went the way he wanted them to, there was a chance he'd never see Max again.

But he wasn't the important one here; Danny forced himself to remember as he kept his eyes fixed on the road. Max was. As independent as Max was, he was still young. He needed his father.

And even if it killed Danny, he would make sure he had one.

--

Danny felt more than a little out of his element as he approached a house that had obviously seen better days. Still, he gathered his nerve and hoped whoever was inside the house wouldn't mind a visitor this late at night.

He knocked once-- and then again, when no one answered. He was about to try a third time when the door swung open and revealed a middle-aged man that might've bore a passing resemblance to Max if Danny took off his glasses and squinted.

He tried to take a breath. "I-I'm sorry to bother you, but are you Mister Cooper?"

The man glared at him darkly. "Yeah. So?"

Now Danny tried to smile. "My name's Danny Delgado. I'm a friend of your son, Max."

Danny felt something cold go through him when the man gave him a disdainful look. "I thought I made it clear to the brat that I was through with him."

"But you don't-- you don't understand, Max--"

"Sucked you in with his sob story." Max's father held an arm out theatrically. "Oh, my daddy beats me! He doesn't feed me! It's so horrible!" He sneered at Danny. "If you want him, you can have him. I'm done having him mooching off of my hard-earned money.

The door slammed in Danny's face.

--

Max worked out the crick in his neck as he sat up. After a quick glance at the alarm, he realized that he'd gotten up twenty minutes earlier than usual. No point in going back to bed now. Still, it was a little weird, since usually Danny had to shake him awake…

Where was Danny, anyways?

As if on cue, his roommate was in the doorway, looking as if he'd been up all night.

"You feeling okay--"

Danny cut him off mid-sentence by wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his neck. "I'm sorry--- I'm so sorry-- I'm sorry for everything--"

Okay, **now** he was officially worried. "Did something happen?"

"… No. Nothing happened." Danny pulled away, taking off his glasses just long enough to rub at his eyes. He smiled sadly. "I just finally figured something out, that's all."

Max suddenly felt awkward. "Oh. So, um, you still feel up to giving me a ride to school, or should I ask Mister Delgado?"

"No, I want to. Just let me get some coffee first." With that, Danny was gone.

Max stared at where Danny had been… and then shook his head as he got ready for his day. Danny was his best friend (and while he wasn't ready to admit it out just yet, probably a little more). Whatever was wrong, he'd tell him at some point.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: AU. Also, this chapter is heavy on the soap opera.

--

It had nearly been a week, and Danny still hadn't told Max what was wrong.

And Max was trying to be patient, really. He was trying to remember that Danny didn't like to cause trouble and was more than a little shy, but… Max was the exception. Or at least he'd thought he was. But whatever Danny was keeping to himself these days, it was big enough that he wouldn't talking to anyone-- even Max.

So Max was just going to have to figure what was wrong himself.

It couldn't be school: Danny was on summer break (something Max could only dream of until June). It couldn't be work: the floral shop had seen record sales with the approach of the wedding season. And as far as Max knew, he hadn't had any arguments with his family. So what could it be?

Maybe, just maybe… no way. No way on Earth.

Then again, he didn't really have any other explanation.

Max hadn't meant to… feel like he did when it came to Danny. He had his own problems to deal with, and he had been planning to deal with them alone. He could take care of himself… no matter what his father said. Even the offer of help was out of the question. And if it had been anyone else in the world offering, Max would have brushed it off, thinking it was just thinking it was just pity for a down on his luck kid (which he **wasn't**), but Danny had just been so earnest, that Max couldn't help but be drawn to him, whether he wanted to be or not.

And now Danny was distancing himself from him.

Max groaned softly as he closed his text, realizing that he wasn't going to get any studying done tonight. He'd had feelings for Danny for awhile; maybe it was time to act on them. Even if it did turn out he was wrong, he could always laugh it off (Danny was trusting enough, he'd believe it), and if he was right…

He decided to wait to see what Danny's reaction would be before going any further with that thought.

--

Max waited until everyone else was asleep before he put his plan into motion. Sure enough, Danny was sitting on his bed, with that lost look he'd had for the past week.

He plopped down on the bed so that he was sitting across from his friend. "Hey." Max's tone was warm, but made it very clear that he was expecting a response.

Danny smiled weakly (and if nothing else good came out of this, at least Danny was smiling again). "Oh. Hi." He gave his best attempt at a yawn. "I'm beat-- I'll bet you are too, after school and work. How about we turn in early?"

Max rolled his eyes. Danny was such a lousy liar... "I need to talk to you before you tuck yourself in."

He tried to keep his face neutral as Danny stared down at the covers mumbling something about how sleepy he was. Something was wrong with him, and Max wasn't just going to sit there and let it eat away at him.

"Danny, look at me."

There must've have been more bite in his voice than he'd meant, because Danny's head jerked back up, eyes wide.

Max took a moment to collect himself, remembering that he was trying to figure out what was wrong with Danny, not scaring him half to death. "Um, I didn't mean it like that. Well, okay, I did mean it like that, but I didn't mean to say it like that. You know what I mean?" Judging from Danny's face, he didn't.

Well, if words weren't working, maybe it was time to try his plan.

The kiss was awkward, mouths meeting for just a moment before Max lost his nerve and pulled back.

Danny's eyes were closed, lips slightly parted, his body completely still.

Max leaned in again, deciding if it wasn't approval, it was at least a chance for a second try. He put a little more thought into it this time, going slow and easy… and felt a thrill go through him when Danny kissed him back.

Everything after that was fumbling and groping, trying to figure out what made Danny feel good as he led their movements (because even though Danny was older than him, and Max hadn't had too much experience at this himself, he was willing to bet that he still knew more than Danny ever would). It wasn't easy, since the bed was obviously built for one person, but they'd manage.

"I love you." Danny's voice was strained as Max pushed him down on the mattress.

_I love you, too._ He smiled against Danny's neck as he tried to figure out a way to get his pajama top off.

"No, wait." Danny pulled away. "I love you, so I have to be honest with you."

"What are you talking about?"

Danny looked like he was about to throw up. "Max, last week I… I-I spoke to your father. I tried to convince him that--"

"So… so you went behind my back to do something that I can do by myself." Considering that Max's world fell down on him with those words, he was handling himself fairly well.

Now Danny looked like he was about to cry. "That's not it! I just wanted to--"

What Max wanted to do was explode in Danny's face, make him hurt as much as he was hurting right now… but he couldn't. He was just too tired.

Slowly, very slowly, Max stood up and made his way for the door. "I'm going for a walk." It wasn't until he was halfway out that Danny spoke.

"… When will you be back?"

Max was silent as he shut the door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: And we're done! Now it's time to hunt for stray typos. I'm not entirely thrilled with the ending (I am never am with my stuff), but boy am I glad I'm done. I think I'm going to write some fluffy drabbles now. Thanks to everyone who's read this far.

--

It looked the same. 

Not that Max had expected a lot of change-- he had only been gone for a couple of months after all, and aside from building beer pyramids in his happier moods, his father had never been too big on decorating. But now, as he took it all in after walking from the bus station… he felt as if he had never left.

And, he realized as he rummaged for his old house key, he never was leaving again.

--

"When I told you I never wanted to see you again, I meant it, you little--"

"I missed you too, Dad." Max looked his father directly in the eye as he spoke. It was going to take more than that to scare him off again-- he had lived through worse, after all. He could always tell him that he had no place left to go now, but considering his father had been aware of that fact when he kicked him out the first time, he figured it wouldn't do him much good now.

So he tried something else, something Danny would do in the first days they'd met (before everything had gone wrong), back when he was still trying to sneak out and prove he could take care of himself.

"Have you had breakfast yet? 'Cause I was thinking if not, I could make us something to eat."

Sure enough, he left the door open before collapsing on the couch. "Eh, do whatever you want. I got work in a couple of hours; I don't have time to deal with you."

Max kept his mouth shut he strode into the almost painfully familiar kitchenette. What else was new? But still, it was enough for him to think that maybe, just maybe things would be different with them now.

Maybe.

--

He checked the fridge twice before saying anything. "Dad? You're out of everything."

"I got what I need." Max could barely hear him over the television.

"Beer doesn't count." He shut the door, noticing the shark magnet his father had bought for him years ago was still there. He'd probably gotten it for him because he wouldn't shut up about it in the store, but Max could still remember the almost smile on his face when he finally gave into his son and put it with their groceries.

_Maybe._ Max straightened the fish magnet. "We could go to the store later and stock up."

The older man's head turned sharply to glare at Max. "Don't even think about weaseling me out my hard-earned money."

Max frowned. "We'd be spending **my** hard-earned money, Dad. I have a part-time job at the bowling alley across town now."

"Oh." He turned his attention back to the dusty television screen. "I'm working until midnight, but if it means you get out of my house, feel free."

Okay, the trip to the grocery store probably wasn't going to happen. Max decided to check one last time, and after rearranging some beer bottles, he found a half-empty crate of eggs. After making sure they were still good, Max wiped the stove down, found a clean enough pan, and began making scrambled eggs.

Mister Delgado made scrambled eggs whenever he had a morning off.

And Ana and Elise would talk about whatever they were learning about in school, Carmen would try to get under his skin, and Danny…

Danny would say nothing, but he would smile at him as they ate.

Max tried to focus on scrambling his eggs. He really, **really** didn't want to think about Danny right now. He didn't want to think about how he'd only pitied him all this time, snuck around behind his back…

But the whole reason he was here was because of Danny, wasn't it?

He would never admit to it out loud, but… Danny had a point. Even if the man currently parked in front of daytime television was a waste of good air, he was still his father. And as insane as it was, Max still wanted to prove to him that they were family.

Max never had to prove anything to the Delgado family, though.

The sudden clarity was so sudden, so sharp Max had to lean against the stove for support (and immediately regretted it as he yanked his hand back). He'd had what he wanted all along… and he'd thrown it away for **this**… and Danny… the way he'd treated Danny…

He piled the eggs on a plate and made his way for the door, stopping only to glance at the figure on the couch.

"Eggs are done. You can have my helping."

His father sneered at him. "You running back home to that boyfriend of yours?"

"Actually, yes." Even though he didn't have much reason to, Max felt himself smile at his father before he walked out the door. "I'm going home."

--

"Well, yeah, of course the kid dumped you. You were trying to fix his problems for him." Carmen was trying to keep her tone light, but inbetween Max leaving and Danny hunched over the kitchen table it wasn't exactly easy.

"I just wanted to help," Danny replied numbly.

"I know, I know. Too bad it had the opposite effect." Carmen felt guilty as Danny slouched even further, but she couldn't help it, she was mad. Max had made her laugh and helped her pass Math, and now she wasn't sure if she'd ever see him again.

But there was no point in overreacting, she supposed. Max was gone, and if there was nothing Danny could do to get him back, she wasn't going to have much luck. After all, she reminded herself as she peeked out the curtains, it wasn't like he was suddenly going to…

No **way**.

"Um, Danny? I think you have a visitor."

Carmen inched over a little as Danny looked outside. Then she was nearly knocked over when he made a break for the door.

--

Max waited for Danny to catch his breath before he began. "I'm guessing that means you missed me?" Danny nodded breathlessly.

He let his hand rest against the white picket fence as he stared at the cab drive into the distance (one of the good things about not reconciling with his father after all was that he was able to take the grocery money and splurge for a taxi for the road home). "Listen, about before. I'm not angry. I even understand, sort of." This was turning out to be harder that Max had expected. "I took your advice. I saw my father again."

"… You did?"

"Yeah. And big surprise, it went badly." Max frowned as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "But I did find out where my real home is-- if you're willing to take me back, that is."

Danny grabbed him and kissed him harder than he had ever been kissed in his life.

And when Max finally managed to pull away, he couldn't help but smirk. "Now's probably a good time for my second question." When Danny blinked at him, he continued. "When I left, we were sort of in the middle of something. I was wondering if you'd like to pick up where we left off?"

Carmen watched on as Max led Danny back into the house, both trying very hard to look casual as they went into their room and shut the door. And locked it. And made sure it was locked. Twice.

She rolled her eyes as she reached for the remote. "I guess I better get used to watching TV with the sound all the way up."

--

"Turtle Cove University? Is that far from here?"

"Not really. That's why I chose to transfer there this fall instead of Silver Hills." Danny snuggled against Max (and much to Max's chagrin they hadn't gotten much further than snuggling, but that was okay, they had plenty of time). "But I won't be home often."

"Oh." After all of this, he'd lose Danny again in a couple of months. So much for having plenty of time.

"And I was thinking, since you're going to be looking into college yourself soon… you would want to come with me? I was going to ask you earlier, but well..."

Max had trouble finding his voice… and then he grinned at Danny. "Of course. Someone has to keep you out of trouble, right?"

They were quiet after that, and it wasn't until he was halfway asleep that Max realized how tired he was. But for the first time in what felt like forever, he wasn't worried about what he'd have to face when he woke up.

Because he knew home would be within arm's reach.


End file.
